CHAPTER NINE - The Melvin Gene’s.

"What do you mean -- you know?" I question harshly, pulling back from him. I reach up to wipe away the tears running down my face, giving him a cold stare. He simply looks back at me expressionless, his lips set in a straight line.

"Uncle Tobias, you better answer me! Do you have something to do with this?" I yell at him, taking another step back.

"Explain what happened, from the start." He responds quietly, giving me a dark look. I clench my jaw as he avoids my question completely. I grab my backpack off the floor and turn around, stomping down the road.

I don't need the Backstabber. I'll find my parents myself.

"Ruby! Ruby Melvin, get back here right now!" He yells after me, climbing off his bike and jogging in my direction. I begin to speed up and toss my hair over my shoulder, barely glancing at him.

"You Backstabber! And it's Wentworth, not Melvin!" I spit at him, the anger inside of me bubbling. I can't believe Uncle Tobias could be the reason for the kidnap of Mum and Dad. I feel a hand wrap around my wrist and he tugs me backwards, holding me in place tightly. I begin to lash out but his grip only tightens as he forces me to look at him. His right eyebrow is raised high, eyes narrowed at me.

"Since when are you a Wentworth? You're a Melvin. You'll always be a Melvin."

His tone sounds hurt and I recall having the same conversation with Dad a few months ago. The first time I told him, he argued with me until he was blue in the face. He couldn't understand why Uncle Tobias hurt me so much by disappearing out of my life.

"I would never want to share the last name as you!"

His grip from my wrist loosens and he drops his hand back down to his side, leaning back against the wall.

"You hurt me Uncle Tobias. You left me without an explanation for years! I left you voicemails," I start, standing in front of him with my face scrunched up in pain.

"I left you voicemail after voicemail, crying down the phone to you! You never text me back, you never called me back. You simply vanished. You're supposed to be my Uncle Tobias, remember?" I yell at him, fresh tears stinging my eyes. I blink them back, the feeling of tears feels foreign to me. I hardly ever cry but since knowing my parents are in danger, I've turned into an emotional wreck.

"Ruby, I'm sorry."

I scoff, shaking my head.

"No, you're not." I whisper, my voice cracking in pain. I reach forward and take his helmet from his hand before pulling it over my head. Uncle Tobias simply watches me with pain in his eyes as I walk back up the road, towards his bike.

"What are you doing Ruby?" He yells, making his way towards me. I fix the helmet, re-adjusting it so it's comfortable on my head as I take a seat on the back of his bike.

"I'm getting this show started so I can save my parents." I say bluntly, staring straight ahead. I don't want to talk about his disappearing act anymore. Uncle Tobias lets out a heavy sigh, taking a seat in the front of his bike.

"You ever ride before?" He asks me quietly, positioning himself over the bike.

"Yes." I lie, my voice confident.

"Good," he mutters, kick starting the bike up. I jump in surprise as it roars to life underneath me and I place my hands on his shoulders, holding tightly. I open my mouth to tell him the truth so he doesn't go too fast but it's too late as he soars down the road, the world blurring past me. The grip on my throat tightens as we get further and further away from my home, my parents home.

*****

"Where are we?" I breathe out, slightly winded and dizzy from the bike ride. I pull the helmet off and hop off the bike, stumbling a little on my trainers. My backpack is still firmly on my back and it's beginning to weigh me down with the weight. I swing it off my shoulder and let it drop to the floor, rubbing the sore spot on my shoulders.

Uncle Tobias reaches forward and takes it from my hand, holding it effortlessly. "I can carry my own things," I say quietly, my eyes dropping to the floor.

"A simply thank you would have been fine," Uncle Tobias shoots back, walking away from me. I roll my eyes at his back and scurry after him, taking in as much as my surroundings as I can. We stop off in a secluded area around two hours away from home. The building in front of me is square and long, white windows all identical and in need of replacing. The sign on the front of the door reads 'Gym' however no other advertisement or posters litter the walls.

The place looks abandoned, ordinary and boring.

"Why are we going inside a gym?" I grimace, the thought of exercise making me cringe. I don't enjoy working out for fun, I'd rather sit in front of the television and time how long it takes for me to demolish a bag of Nutella doughnuts.

"You'll soon see," uncle Tobias says quietly, pushing the door open with his free hand. The door shuts over quickly, almost smacking me in the face and I jump backwards, narrowly missing it.

"Gee, thanks." I mutter, pulling it open and strolling inside. The inside decor is equally as disappointing as the outside. Grey and white walls with a grey worn out carpet and barely any furnishings. There's no-one behind the desk and Uncle Tobias strides down a corridor, knowing where he's going.

"Why are we here?" I repeat, noticing how unusually deserted this place was for a gym. I literally haven't seen a single other soul around this place.

"This place is mine," Uncle Tobias says casually over his shoulder and my eyebrows raise in surprise. "Wow, so that's why you're acting like you own the place," I say, skipping a little to keep up with him. "The building is a wreck, you don't have to be polite about it."

"Don't worry, I wasn't intending to." I shoot back, following as he pushes open some double doors. They lead into a darkly lit room and I notice a shadowy figure hunched over in the corner. He's shirtless and bent down, fiddling with his laces. From behind, the muscles in his golden skin are strong and defined and I let out a low whistle, my eyes roaming his body. From the corner of my eye, I notice Uncle Tobias glaring at me.

"Ruby, stop that right now. No boys."

At the indirect mention of him, he stands and turns around and I can feel myself bite back a smirk at his features. His dark eyes are hooded over with thick, short lashes and his jaw is equally as defined and sharp as the muscles sculpted on his stomach. I watch as he runs a large hand through the strands of his dirty blonde hair, pushing it away from his forehead. His face is emotionless as his eyes land on me and I can feel my throat begin to dry out from his gaze.

"I'm Ruby. Ruby Wentworth." I say confidently, taking a step forward with a smile on my face. My words are slightly strained than usual but I ignore it as I wait for him to react. He simply raises one eyebrow at me however takes a step closer.

"I'm Woody."

His voice is a low rumble, eyes darkening further as he speaks.

"Yeah and I'm Tobias. Tobias Melvin." Uncle Tobias interrupts us, mimicking my voice. I turn around to shoot him a quick glare but he ignores me, standing between me and Woody.

"Ruby, this is Woody."

"Erm, we kind of just introduced ourselves to each other..." I say, a little confused. Uncle Tobias releases a heavy sigh, his wide shoulders rising and falling.

"Woody is going to be looking after you whilst I'm away looking after your parents. You'll stay here so I know you're safe. No funny business between you two," Uncle Tobias says firmly, turning towards me with a raised brow. I raise my own eyebrow and put my hand on my hip, shaking my head in protest.

"You bought me all this way just so you can have someone babysit me? No freakin' way! I'm helping you look for my parents. I have to do this." I start yelling, angry at Uncle Tobias' bossy nature.

"No Ruby! You cannot get involved in this!" Uncle Tobias yells back at me, his eyes narrowing.

"They are my parents! I'm not a child!" I argue back, clenching my fists together. Behind Uncle Tobias, Woody lets out a little chuckle and I freeze, shooting him a glare.

"Is something funny?" I snap. He immediately silences and doesn't respond, taking a step back to leave me alone with Uncle Tobias. I cross my arms over my chest, holding my head up high. I can feel my heart thumping against my chest but I ignore it and hold my stare with my uncle. After several minutes, he sighs in defeat.

"Fine," he mutters, dropping my bag to the floor with heavy thud. He shakes his head in disbelief and a smile spreads across my lips from my small victory.

"Your dad is going to kill me when he finds out," he groans under his breath, storming out unhappily. I watch him leave, the doors shutting behind him and that's when I realise he left me alone with Woody. I turn around to look at him and he's suddenly a few feet away from me, his body wide and tall. I physically have to tilt my head up to get a good look of him.

"Are you going to stand there and laugh at me again?" I say, leaning back against the wall. His eyes briefly roam down the upper half of my body before snapping back up to meet mine.

"I only laughed because you're so stubborn." He responds, the corners of his lips twitching up.

"I have the Melvin genes unfortunately," I chuckle dryly, taking a seat on a swivel chair in the corner.

"You know what?" Woody asks, looking at me intensely. I can feel myself suck in a breath, my stomach flipping from one single look.

"What?" I respond confidently but my words come out in a whisper. Woody whirls around, suddenly turning his back on me. I frown as I can't make out his expression. His response comes out like a quiet mumble but I hear it clearly.

"I was just about to say the same damn thing about you."